


The CEO and the Singer

by Kyuubiluver342



Series: The Many Times Seto Kaiba Was In Debt To Joey Wheeler [27]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Idols, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-07-28 11:17:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20063146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyuubiluver342/pseuds/Kyuubiluver342
Summary: It was a fake relationship, created to use the media to their advantage, used to bring attention to both Kaiba Corp and Joey's record label. That's all it was.





	The CEO and the Singer

“Joey Wheeler? You’re joking, right?” Seto Kaiba demanded, throwing the file on his desk with a scowl.

“Sir, I promise you, this little publicity stunt will boost both companies stocks. Joey is a rising star. He’s very popular right now and it will help bring attention to the Kaiba Corp brand.” the manager replied.

He was some weasley looking man and normally, Seto wouldn’t bother with things like this, but recently stocks had been tanking. The last gaming system didn’t sell well at all and Kaiba Corp needed something to get itself out of a ditch. Sure, they had plenty of plans in the works, but they needed something quick and easy.

“So a few fake dates and that’s it?” Seto asked.

“Correct! One or two dates, a public break up and everything is done. What do you say?” he replied eagerly.

“We want to meet him first.” Mokuba stated.

He had been sitting, watching this whole thing go down with interest. Sure, they had done things like this before, but this was the first time it was with a singer and a male one at that. They usually focused on actresses with movies coming out that they could put their products in. He looked at the photo again and sighed.

“Fine.” Seto stated.

Seto stood there, watching and waiting. This was his first time meeting Joey and he wasn’t sure what to think of the man. He was pretty popular and his songs were really high on the charts right now, but Seto didn’t care much for these fake relationships. He just hoped it would be quick and easy.

The elevator opened at the end of the room and Joey came out with his manager and another young lady. The manager was talking a mile a minute and Joey seemed like he had no idea what he was going on about.

“And this is Mr. Seto Kaiba. Mr. Kaiba, Joey Wheeler.” the manager introduced.

“Nice to meet you.” Joey held out a hand.

“Likewise.” Seto shook his hand, his tone even.

The young lady behind Joey waved.

“This is Serenity, my sister.” Joey introduced, stepping out of the way.

“And this is Mokuba.” Seto stated.

“Yes, well, since we have that out of the way, let’s begin.” the manager stated.

They all sat down, Seto focusing on the manager and setting up a schedule for how this would work out. Joey didn’t seem interested, focused more on pointing out things to his sister outside the window. She seemed delighted.

“Mr. Wheeler, I wish you would pay attention!” the manager snapped.

“Look, I told you already, I don’t care how this works out. You told me it would help my career, so I’m doing it. I don’t see why it has to be a big deal.” Joey said scratching his cheek.

Seto was not amused.

“This is meant to help both of our companies and I ask that you treat it with respect. I could care less about your career, but my company is my pride and joy. If you ruin that, I will bury you.” Seto demanded.

Joey glared at him, eyes sharp.

“And I could care less about that too. Kaiba Corp or not, you’re just some guy.” Joey replied.

Seto grit his teeth, enraged. Mokuba was watching this with wide eyes. He had never heard someone dismiss his brother so completely.

“I’m starting to think this whole thing was a mistake.” Seto stated.

“M-Mr. Kaiba! Please forgive my client. He can be a little hot headed at times.” the manager said nervously.

Joey rolled his eyes and Serenity giggled.

“I warned you about this already. I don’t care about fake shit like this. I’ll play along for now, but don’t expect me to go out of my way.” Joey stated.

“At least we agree on something.” Seto replied.

With that, the contact was signed. They agreed to three dates and then a huge blowout breakup. It had to be at least two months long and very public. Joey seemed to scuff at a few of the minor details, like wearing matching jewelry and things.

“Seems like a lot of work for a fake relationship.” Serenity stated.

“There is a system to it.” the manager said boredly.

He seemed uninterested in anything Serenity had to say, but Joey just shot him a look and he quieted down.

“So when’s the first date?” Joey asked.

A week later, Joey sat in some fancy, high class restaurant, waiting. He had been here for over twenty minutes now, nursing a water. He scowled.

“Waiting my time.” Joey muttered.

He checked his phone, but he had no calls, no texts. He slipped it back in his pocket. Just then, Seto showed up. He looked nice, very nice actually, but Joey just ignored it. They hugged.

“You’re late.” Joey hissed in his ear.

“I was busy.” Seto replied coldly.

They saw down and started chatting. Everything was rehearsed, they knew what to say and what to do. Joey laughed fakely at something Seto said, hearing the click of the cameras behind them. He ignored his urge to flip them off and maybe flip off Seto too. The entire time they sat there, Seto was checking his phone, replying to emails and taking calls. Joey just ate his overpriced steak and seethed.

“How did it go?” Serenity asked as he returned home that night. 

Joey just groaned and face planted into the really expensive couch.

“He’s an absolute ass.” Joey replied.

Serenity chuckled and sat beside him, running her hands through his hair. 

“But, definitely your type, huh? It’s just for a few weeks. Then you won’t have to worry about it anymore.” Serenity said.

Joey rolled over and looked at her. Serenity’s dream since she had been a little girl was to be an idol. Joey had always supported her in anything she wanted to do, so he had auditioned for a few roles in order to get her there. It was easy for him to push her to stardom if he was one himself, so he had worked hard to get to where he was. Seto was just another stepping stone. A really hot stepping stone, but one none the less.

“He’s just so infuriating!” Joey yelled grabbed his hair.

She laughed, amused by his antics. He ranted and raved about the man, just to make her smile before calming down.

“Soon, it will be your time to shine.” Joey said and she giggled.

“You keep saying that, but it’s fine, you know. I don’t mind.” she replied.

He shook his head.

“No, I will make you an idol. That is your dream.” he stated.

She just ran her fingers through his hair.

“So do you have any plans for your birthday?” Joey asked curiously.

“Big brother, it’s in two months! I haven’t even planning for breakfast yet.” she laughed.

Joey smiled. If he could make his sister happy, he didn’t care about anything else. This fake relationship was just another way to make her dreams come true.

“How’d it go?” Mokuba asked, not looking up from his laptop.

“He’s a complete airhead. And he had the nerve to call me out on being late!” Seto grumbled as he took off his jacket.

Mokuba gave him a look.

“Well, it is rude to be late on the first date.” Mokuba said.

“It’s a fake date. What do I care?” Seto replied.

“Even still, we are trying to make this look real. Don’t make yourself look like an ass.” Mokuba said.

Seto just huffed.

“I can’t wait until this all is over.” Seto stated.

“You made it into the paper.” Mokuba said the next morning.

Seto eyed the picture with disgust. It was of Joey laughing at something Seto said and it was about as fake as can be. Though he did admit, Joey was cute when he laughed.

“How repulsive.” Seto muttered as he turned back to the Business page in the newspaper.

The second date ended almost as bad as the first. Joey had been just a few seconds away from dumping water on Seto’s head and leaving. While their fake relationship was all anyone wanted to talk about, Joey felt trapped. He hated the way everything was going, hated the way everything was planned out and hated the fact that Seto seemed to just play along with it without any feelings.

He didn’t bother to treat Joey as if he were a person, instead acting as if Joey was just a commodity, something to use to get what he wanted. He just expected Joey to be where he was supposed to be, but didn’t bother to let Joey know if he would be late or not. It was getting on Joey’s nerves. He just hoped it would end soon.

Days passed and they continued their little charade. Everything was planned out in advance, so all Joey and Seto had to do was follow a script, but it was getting harder and harder to not go for each other’s throats. Whispered jabs and muttered curses at each other when no one was watching, all while playing up the oh so in love couple. All hell broke loose whenever they were in private. Joey didn’t seem to understand how busy Seto was and why they always had to play to his schedule while Seto didn’t understand why Joey was being difficult about everything.

“Why can’t you just go along with what has already been decided!” Seto snapped.

“I told you already, I have a fan signing that day! I am not going to end it early just because you have five seconds to see me!” Joey yelled back.

“You’re impossible!” Seto yelled.

“And you’re an ass! No wonder you’re alone! Showing up late to things we already agreed to! No calls, no texts, nothing! And now you want me to end a meet and greet early just because you say so! As if!” Joey yelled back.

Seto grit his teeth, enraged. Mokuba ducked his head a bit. Oh boy, here is comes.

“At least I know what value I have, unlike some people who whore themselves out for fame and money!” Seto snapped.

Joey stared at him before suddenly grabbing him by the shirt and slamming him into a wall. Despite the height difference, Joey picked him up and held him so his feet were dangling. Seto’s eyes grew wide, shocked.

“How fucking dare you! Do you know how hard I have worked to make it where I am! I didn’t get to sit on Daddy’s knee and beg for a company! I had to work for my place!” Joey snarled.

“Seto!” Mokuba cried.

“M-Mr. Wheeler! Release him!” his manager begged.

Joey shot him a look so dark and cold the man froze. Serenity, who was in the restroom, came out to chaos and sighed.

“Big Brother. Stop.” she demanded.

Joey looked at her and dropped Seto, who placed a hand on his chest and glared. Joey took a step back before turning away.

“Screw this bullshit. I’m done. Fuck this fake relationship nonsense and Kaiba Corp.” Joey snarled.

He wrapped an arm around Serenity and went to leave, but she didn’t move.

“Joey, stop.” she demanded.

Joey paused and looked at her, face red and eyes dark. She pointed to a chair.

“Sit down. You need to calm down.” she said calmly.

“Yes, Mutt. Listen to your sister.” Seto sneered.

Joey whirled around, fully prepared to go to war with the other man when Serenity coughed.

“Mr. Kaiba, admittedly my brother is right. You agreed to this, but you have done nothing to show you are interested in continuing it. Maybe it’s best to end this early and just forget about the whole thing.” Serenity explained.

“M-Ms. Wheeler, we can’t just break this contact!” the manager whined.

“But it is doing nothing, but causing bad blood. Neither Mr. Kaiba or my brother are pleased with what is happening and I don’t feel like that will change any time soon.” Serenity stated.

“I agree with Serenity.” Mokuba piped in.

Seto looked at him and he smiled.

“It’s not working, Seto. It’s best we just move on.” Mokuba said.

Seto rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“We have one more fake date. Let’s just get through that and have our breakup. We can forget this ever happened and never deal with each other again.” Seto explained.

Joey scowled, but in the end, agreed and the meeting came to a close. As Joey and Serenity left, Seto turned to Mokuba and eyed him.

“You are not one to break contracts. What was that about?” Seto demanded.

“You just seem miserable. I don’t want you miserable either, Seto.” Mokuba said.

Seto just nodded, idly rubbing his neck in thought.

Joey sat on a park bench, staring at the sky. Seto, as usual, was late. Only by a few minutes, but still. As he watched a couple walk by, he felt a ping of something in his chest. He had never cared much for dating, never really had a girlfriend if he was going to be honest. Too busy making sure Serenity and he had everything they could ever need since both of their parents had passed. But seeing couples walking by, knowing he couldn’t have that, was killing him. He was human, like everyone else, but Seto treated him like a joke.

Joey snuggled into his coat and scarf, watching as the people went by. With his scarf, hat and jacket, he doubted anyone would recognize him and that was nice. It was nice that he could just sit and be by himself for a little while. He sat there, watching, completely forgetting that he was supposed to be waiting for Seto when he glanced at the time. An hour had gone by and Joey got up. He wasn’t going to sit here, like some dog waiting for his owner to come home.

Joey walked away.

Seto walked up to the bench, talking quickly into the phone.

“I don’t care how you do it, just get it done!” he snapped as he ended the call.

Pausing at the bench, he looked around. He didn’t see anyone waiting here, even though he had been told to come to this specific bench in the park. He glanced at his phone, frowning when he did realize he was late. He pulled up Joey’s number and hit dial.

“Yeah?” Joey said when he answered.

“Where are you? I’m here.” Seto said.

“Yeah and I was there for over an hour, waiting for you. I got cold, so I went home.” Joey replied.

Seto grit his teeth.

“Why didn’t you call me?” Seto asked.

“Well, you never picked up the other times I called you, so I figured there was no point. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” the line went dead and Seto stared at the phone blankly.

People didn’t hang up on him. They wouldn’t dare, but now Joey had. He hit redial.

“What?” Joey demanded harshly.

“We have to do this, you know that. Just come back.” Seto replied.

“As if, asshole. I am not your fucking dog. I don’t come every time I am called. You were late, again, I left. Not my fault, not my problem.” Joey replied.

Seto sighed deeply.

“Then I will come to you. Where are you?” Seto demanded as he started walking.

“I’ve already left the park. My apartment is two blocks away. Just leave me alone.” Joey said hanging up again.

Seto was really getting sick of that. He hit redial.

“We need to do this, stop being a pain!” Seto hissed as he walked out of the park.

“Why can’t you just let this go!” Joey snapped.

“Because you agreed to this!” Seto yelled.

“Yeah and you did too and you’ve done everything to keep up your end of the deal!” Joey shouted back.

Seto grit his teeth. He rarely got yelled at and the only one who could get away with it was Mokuba. Seto walked out of the park.

“What is wrong with you?” Seto demanded.

“Me? What is wrong with me? I have basically put my life on hold to revolve around your schedule and you don’t even give a damn! Do you know I cancelled on my sister for our last ‘date’, only to sit alone in a restaurant, waiting for you! I cancelled on Serenity for you and you have the fucking nerve to treat me as if I am a joke!” Joey snarled.

Seto looked down. From what he had seen, Joey treated his sister like he treated Mokuba and he hated to cancel any plans he had with Mokuba. Seto sighed and rubbed his eyes, feeling tired and drained.

“Look, I’ll meet you halfway, does that work? We just need this last date and then we can have that breakup.” Seto asked.

There was a pause before Joey spoke.

“There’s a little cafe halfway up the block on the left hand side. I’ll meet you there.” Joey said finally.

“Fine.” Seto hung up and started walking.

The air was chilly and he could feel his nose starting to turn red. The beginning of November was proving to be a chilly one and Seto didn’t care much for the cold. He found the cafe easily enough and Joey was already inside, sitting at a small table in the back. He sat down and Joey just glanced at him, hands wrapped around a cup.

“Let’s just get this over with.” Joey muttered annoyed.

Seto sat there before sighing.

“You’re right.” Seto said slowly.

Joey glanced at him.

“Huh?” Joey asked.

“About what you said.” Seto winced.

God, he hated admitting when he was wrong. Joey smirked and leaned back in his seat.

“That must kill you to say.” Joey snickered.

“It does and it’s the last time you will ever hear it.” Seto replied.

Joey just shrugged.

“One is all I need. Not like anyone would believe me if I told them you said it anyway.” Joey said.

They sat in silence before Joey sighed.

“Why did you agree to this? I don’t think I ever asked.” Joey said.

Seto frowned as his coffee was brought over and he took a sip. Years of coffee drinking made him immune to the pain and Joey just stared at him wide eyed.

“The last gaming system Kaiba Corp put out didn’t do nearly as well as we predicted. Our stocks were tanking and when your manager offered this to us, it seemed like an easy deal.” Seto admitted.

Joey snorted.

“Easy? Never with me around. He probably didn’t tell you that part.” Joey said.

Seto raised an eyebrow.

“Why are you so difficult?” Seto asked.

Joey eyed him and sighed.

“My ma and pa died when Serenity and I were young. Gang hit gone wrong. I’ve had to take care of Serenity all my life. Which means I couldn’t just let people push me around. I fought for everything I have and made sure people knew I wasn’t playing around. Got me into trouble a lot, but I wouldn’t take any of it back.” Joey paused.

“When she was a little girl, she told me she wanted to be an idol. I figured if I was already in the business, I could help her make it.” Joey stated.

Seto blinked.

“Wait, you’re doing all of this for Serenity?” Seto asked.

“Of course, wouldn’t you do the same for Mokuba?” Joey asked.

Seto looked at the floor. There were a lot of things he had done for Mokuba that he would never tell anyone about.

“In a heartbeat.” Seto muttered.

Joey just smiled and sipped his coffee before making a face.

“Not a coffee drinker?” Seto asked sipping his own.

“Not usually. It’s so bitter.” Joey said staring into the cup.

Seto snorted and covered his mouth. 

“What?” Joey demanded.

“Sorry, it’s just...Mokuba always says the same thing. He pours an ungodly amount of cream and sugar into his.” Seto said fondly.

The conversation after that was smooth. They talked about their siblings, their lives and it was simple, easy. Seto completely forgot about the phone in his jacket pocket and Joey forgot that this was a fake date. They finished their coffees and sat there, unsure of where to go from here.

“I’ll walk you to your apartment.” Seto said as they got up.

As they walked, they were quiet. Seto just enjoying the peace while Joey wondered what would happen from there. They turned the corner and Joey felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. A car drove by slowly and Joey’s whole body screamed danger. He grabbed Seto’s arm and Seto raised an eyebrow.

“Suddenly feeling affectionate?” Seto asked, but Joey shook his head.

“I think someone is following us.” Joey stated as he watched the car pass by again on the other side of the road.

“How do you know?” Seto stiffened to the point where his back was ramrod straight.

“Just a gut feeling.” Joey muttered as the car turned around again and came back their way.

Seto’s breathing picked up a bit. He had been kidnapped before, hell both brothers had, but it was never a good experience. What was he going to do? Joey tightened his hold on Seto’s arm and hummed.

“If I tell you to run, will you?” Joey asked.

Seto eyed him warily.

“Run?” Seto questioned.

“Yeah, you got long legs. How fast can you run?” Joey asked.

“Pretty fast, but I am not sure that I am faster than a car.” Seto replied as they turned a corner.

“You don’t need to be faster than a car. You just need to get out of the area while I distract them.” Joey replied.

Seto’s eyes widened.

“Distract them? You might get yourself killed. They could have weapons.” Seto stated.

Joey scuffed as he pulled a switchblade out of his pocket. Seto didn’t even know he had one on him.

“I told you already. I fought for everything I have in this world. Sometimes, that meant with blood.” Joey said calmly.

“They could have guns.” he hissed.

“So did the last guy I used this on. Guns are not that scary.” Joey replied.

“You’re insane.” Seto said.

“And you need to run, go!” Joey pushed him into an alley as the car stopped beside them.

Seto hesitated for a moment as the car doors opened, but when Joey yelled at him to run again, he didn’t think twice. He booked it as he heard yelling. He pulled the phone from his pocket and had just hit dial when he heard the first gun shot. His blood went ice cold, fear filling his soul.

He continued running until he couldn’t run anymore, talking quickly into the phone to Roland on the other end. He just prayed Roland would get there fast enough. He pressed his back against a wall and then stopped. What the fuck was he doing? Seriously, what the fuck was he doing? Was he really going to hide like a coward while Joey fought for his life? Seto turned back around and raced back to where Joey was.

Only to find calm. Joey was alone, there was some blood on the pavement, but the area was empty and the car was gone.

“Assholes.” Joey muttered as he turned back around.

The two blinked at each other and then Joey put away his blade (if it had blood on it, Seto sure as hell wasn’t going to say anything).

“What are you doing here?” Joey asked.

“I came back to help you, but I see my help wasn’t needed.” Seto muttered.

Joey scuffed.

“Two guns with tiny guns and they thought they were going to get one over on me? Fucking try me.” Joey said.

“So the blood…?” Seto asked.

“One guy is gonna have a really nasty scar for the rest of his life.” Joey smirked.

“And the gunshot?” Seto continued.

Joey pointed to a building nearby.

“He shot in the air to make a statement. That’s why he has the scar now.” Joey said.

“I see…” Seto trailed off as two black cars came around the corner.

Joey tensed, but as Roland got out, Seto felt a wave of calm control come over him. Soon the police were there as well and Joey was taken to the hospital to be checked over. What a way to end a date.

It was all over the news the next day and Seto couldn’t have had a bigger headache. It seems like everyone was talking about it and Seto couldn’t go anywhere without someone asking about it. That night, they had another meeting with Joey and the others. As they walked into the room, they could hear Joey yelling.

“Absolutely fucking not, you asshole!” Joey roared.

“Big brother, please, it’s not that big a deal.” Serenity said calmly.

“No! I will not have him ruin your birthday like this and who the fuck gave you permission to do this!” Joey snapped.

The manager was cowering, in his hands a poster of some kind.

“May I ask what is going on?” Seto asked as they sat down.

Mokuba noticed a poster on the table and picked it up.

“Joey’s Swinging Bash?” Mokuba asked.

Seto leaned over and eyed the poster. It was tacky, but got the point across.

“And what is the problem here?” Seto asked.

“Well, that day is actually my sister’s birthday and apparently the same day he wants us to have our big breakup!” Joey said hotly.

Seto raised an eyebrow.

“Mr. Wheeler, please, be reasonable.” The manager stuttered.

Joey grit his teeth.

“And I told you already, pick another day!” Joey demanded.

“We already sent out the invitations! We can’t just change it! And the contract will be ending on that day as well! We need to do the final breakup before then!” he replied.

“Wait, you sent out the invitations already? Without informing either of us? I have a charity auction that night.” Seto demanded.

The manager shrunk back even more. Seto could understand Joey’s irritation now.

“Big brother, we can always celebrate my birthday the day after, it’s not a big deal.” Serenity stated.

She did seem sad however and Seto did not like it. He eyed the poster one last time before throwing it on the table.

“Cancel it.” Seto stated.

“What? But Mr. Kaiba!” the manager squeaked.

“I said cancel it. If Joey is not willing to go through with it, neither am I. If we need to extend the contract for another few weeks, we will.” Seto stated.

The manager’s mouth dropped and Joey looked a little startled, but Serenity had this small, happy smile on her face.

“You’re insufferable.” Joey muttered as he leaned against Seto’s side.

“So you say.” Seto replied without removing his eyes from his book.

“Will you two hush? We are getting to the good part.” Serenity said, Mokuba nodding by her side.

“You just got shushed.” Joey teased lightly.

Seto rolled his eyes before going back to his book. Joey had insisted on this “family” nights months ago and while Seto wasn’t one to just sit around and watch movies, he could admit this down time made the rest of the week easier to handle. Who knew some fake relationship could start a real one?

“Hey are you gonna pass the popcorn or what?” Joey demanded.

Seto eyed the popcorn on the table next to him and then Joey, who pouted.

“Maybe when you ask nicely.” Seto smirked.

Joey rolled his eyes, but pecked Seto on the lips before stealing the popcorn bowl all for himself.


End file.
